Fairy tales, whimsy and fantasy are all at the height of childhood dreams and memories. Who doesn’t look back in time and remember dress-up, make-believe and story-telling? And when those fantasies actually come to life before your eyes, the magic is undeniable.  My husband and I both visited Walt Disney World Resort parks as kids, and we have many fond memories of good times with family and friends that we wished to pass on to our children as well. So when a family trip to Florida was in the works, of course a visit to Disney was a must!

In the months and weeks leading up to our first family-of-four vacation, we consulted and brainstormed with our very experienced Disney friends for tips, tricks and suggestions on how to get the most out of our foray into the world of Disney.  While we were definitely excited to visit the parks (mostly to see how happy our son would be) – our adult enthusiasm was mediocre at best – however, after having completed a truly magical and memorable day, our excitement had grown to adult-size proportions and we were already talking about when we would be coming back!

When we told our friends about our plan to visit multiple theme parks in one day, many were skeptical and suggested otherwise, however, we thought we would challenge the odds and see how much we could accomplish in a 12-hr period with our one-day park hopper tickets. While I have to admit that you can’t see every square inch of each park, taking in age-appropriate attractions at more than one location is definitely possible.

At 8am, it was 29 degrees and clouds and impending rain were on the horizon as we made our way to Magic Kingdom. We were not about to let this dampen our day though, so we came fully prepared with the kids in their hooded stroller, two golf-size umbrellas and enough ponchos and jackets to go around .

First order of business once we were inside the gates was to meet Mickey Mouse at Town Square Theatre. We had our meet and greet booked on the My Disney Experience App, but because of the rain there was no need for it as we walked straight into Mickey’s dressing room and were the first to see him that morning. While we anticipated Massimo’s reaction to be one of fear and shyness (most reactions as of late), we were instantly proven wrong as he walked straight up to him and in a loud voice said, “Hi Mickey Mouse!” It was the cutest thing ever and almost made me want to cry – ridiculous I know, but it really was just too sweet.

With this highlight crossed off of our list, (Massimo had been asking to see Mickey on a daily basis for weeks before the trip), we headed straight for Starbucks to grab coffee and breakfast and were pleasantly surprised when we were given the largest, most delicious  Chocolate Peppermint cupcake absolutely free (no pic cause we ate it too fast)! This day was off to a great start!


As we dodged the light drizzle we were able to catch rides on the Tomorrowland Speedway, Dumbo the Flying Elephant, and take a deadpan-filled boat ride on the Jungle Cruise (a covered ride perfect for when it rains).  Then as the torrential rain began to come down mid-morning, the kids and I hid out under a covered area and the biggest kid of the day (Dad), went solo on Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, returning soaked yet grinning from ear to ear.


(We kept Gemma’s soother clean and accessible all day with her Ryan and Rose Cutie Clip)

As the sky started to clear we emerged from our hiding spot and headed back towards Main Street, U.S.A to grab lunch at the Casey’s Corner, noshing on some all-American favs. Although we didn’t see every attraction or take every ride Magic Kingdom had to offer, at this point in time we did everything we wanted to with our little family, and so then it was off to Epcot.  We boarded the monorail and before we knew it were whisked out of Magic Kingdom into the Experimental Prototype Community Of Tomorrow.

At this point the rain had stopped for good and the sky’s were beginning to clear, which was great news for our fun-filled afternoon at Epcot. The temperature started to drop a bit, but again we were fully prepared with sweaters, jackets and hats,  so this didn’t phase us at all.


We took in The Seas with Nemo & Friends, met Mickey for a second time along with Goofy and Minnie at the Character Spot and then started our journey around the globe at the World Showcase. First stop? Beer in Germany. No sampling of the varieties allowed, but if you want to taste before committing, why not ask the person in line in front of you to have a sip of theirs? Believe it or not a woman in front of Mike actually did this and to his disbelief,  the guy gave the woman a drink. Only good vibes happening at Disney!



As we walked from country to country a mid-afternoon pick-me-up was needed and when I spotted a giant pink donut at one of the Coffee and Pastry kiosks, it was calling my name. Since the kids were asleep we thought we could actually eat the whole thing ourselves, but my sweets-loving son must has smelt the sweet fondant in his sleep and woke up just in time to claim the rest of the donut for himself.

Our favorite country in the World Showcase was Morocco. It looked pretty authentic as far as I could tell (never actually having been to Morocco), but pretty mosaics and fountains around every corner were enough to make us feel like we were actually experiencing a bit of the real deal.



By around 5:30pm myself and the kids were getting pretty tired so the Mike went off to ride Mission Space while I perched myself on a rock outside of the ride to catch up on Instagram and both kids took a power-nap. Wait times were pleasantly shorter than depicted on the boards which was a bonus since it really was starting to cool down now to around 16 degrees.  One more ride on Test Track and then it was time to call it a day at Epcot. Short but sweet, we got to try out some of the main attractions and visit the always-exciting World Showcase, so overall a successful Epcot experience.


We boarded the monorail once again and made our way back to Disney’s Contemporary Resort where dinner with friends at California Grill was on the evenings agenda. Since our car was conveniently parked at the resort (more about this in my TIPS below), we were able to grab our change of clothes thanks to the friendly valet service,  and then make our way up the private elevator to the 15th floor restaurant. The perfect end to a wonderful day was spent with friends and family, dining and taking in the Magic Kingdom fireworks spectacular right from the comfort of our dinner table. The lights were dimmed and the music was piped right inside the restaurant offering one last spark of the Disney magic we will cherish for years to come!

THE MINTED MAMA’S “DISNEY IN ONE DAY” TIPS:

TIP #1: We were meeting a group of friends for dinner at the end of the day at Disney’s Contemporary Resort, so thinking ahead we decided we would like to park our car at the resort to make things easier when it was time to head home. For $25 we parked in the Valet parking lot at Disney’s Contemporary Resort first thing in the morning and left it there for the entire day. (This was just an extra $5 on top of the regular Magic Kingdom general car parking lot charge of $20). Leaving our car here at 8am was easy (drop off and go), convenient (an 8 minute walk to MK which was totally handy when the monorail doesn’t open until 8:30am), and so comforting to know that our car was in good hands and all of our belongings stored in the vehicle were safe, not to mention the fact that when our dinner was over at 11pm and all we wanted to do was get back to our hotel and go to sleep, our car was right where we wanted it to be and waiting for us.

TIP #2: Our Disney day was December 18th – right at the peak of holiday season – so we expected mass crowds and insane lineups. However….since the forecast was rain, rain and more rain, the parks were much less crowded than they should have been and maneuvering between rides and attractions was easy and simple. If you’re ready and prepared (golf size umbrellas recommended) to brave the rain, don’t believe the weather forecast and just go for it! Everyone else will be deterred, so this will leave you with the upper hand and ability to enjoy shorter lines and some breathing room. And by the way, the weather forecast is always wrong in Florida (in my opinion) so you’re sure to get a bit of sun throughout the day despite whatever was predicted. We were supposed to have 10-15mm of rain throughout the entire day, but after one serious downpour mid-morning the rain stopped and we had clear skies for the remainder of the day!

TIP #3: A major must-do is to download and use the My Disney Experience App for booking Fast-Pass+ attractions before and during your day at Disney. Throughout The Walt Disney World Resort there is FREE wifi for all guests so you can use the App at your leisure, and of course (very important) post pics of your adventures on social media without using up your precious data!

TIP #4: Want the absolute best views of the daily Magic Kingdom fireworks while comfortably dining on top-quality food and drinks? Look no further than booking  dinner at Disney’s Contemporary Resort California Grill Restaurant. Impeccable views complement a 5-star dining experience where you can wind down after a thrilling day at the parks. And nothing beats watching the light-show with a comfortable,  front-row view, unparalleled anywhere else in the parks.

* Thank you The Walt Disney Company (Canada) Ltd. for providing us with tickets to Walt Disney World Resort. All opinions are my own.